Method for detecting movement of a sample primarily for use in magnetic resonance imaging of the sample

A method for detecting movement of a sample comprising:

• providing three non-parallel light beams each transmitted from a respective element located at a respective position on the sample;
• providing three position sensing detectors and arranging the detectors at fixed positions on a platform such that each receives a respective one of the light beams and generates an output comprising two signals representative of a position in a plane of the position sensing detector of the point of incidence of the light beam, such that the signals are dependent upon movement of the sample and the elements thereon;
• and effecting a calculation from the signals in digital values wherein the calculation is arranged:
• firstly to calculate from the digital values of the three position sensing detectors for each position sensing detector and its associated element a distance between a fixed point in the plane of the position sensing detector and a predetermined point in the respective element;
• and secondly to calculate, from said distances and from information defining the geometry of the position sensing detectors on said platform and the geometry of the elements on the sample, the coordinates of the predetermined points of the elements relative to a point at the sample which is fixed relative to the platform.

A method of performing magnetic resonance measurements to analyze a sample, comprising:

• providing at least one magnet generating a magnetic field;
• providing at least one gradient field coil and applying a field signal to the coil resulting in a magnetic field which in addition to the field of the magnet is applied to form a variable magnetic field in which the sample is located;
• providing at least one radiofrequency (RF) coil and applying an RF signal to the RF coil to generate an RF field;
• detecting RF signals from the sample caused by nuclear magnetic resonance in the sample;
• analyzing the RF signals to determine information relating to the sample;
• during the nuclear magnetic resonance measurements, detecting movements of the sample by a motion detection system which is separate from the nuclear magnetic resonance measurements to generate motion signals indicative of the movement;
• and, during the nuclear magnetic resonance measurements, using the motion signals to compensate for the movement such that the information is independent of the movement.

A method for detecting movement of a sample comprising:

• providing three light sources each transmitted from a respective element located at a respective position on the sample;
• providing three position sensing detectors and arranging the detectors at fixed positions on a platform such that each receives light from a respective one of the light sources and generates an output comprising two signals representative of a position in a plane of the position sensing detector of the point of incidence of the light, such that the signals are dependent upon movement of the sample and the elements thereon;
• and effecting a calculation from the signals in digital values wherein the calculation is arranged:
• firstly to calculate from the digital values of the three position sensing detectors for each position sensing detector and its associated element a distance between a fixed point in the plane of the position sensing detector and a predetermined point in the respective element;
• and secondly to calculate, from said distances and from information defining the geometry of the position sensing detectors on said platform and the geometry of the elements on the sample, the coordinates of the predetermined points of the elements relative to a point at the sample which is fixed relative to the platform.